* fragments of the same dead star

♥♥♥

* fragments of the same dead star

a girl who doesnt live life the way she wants it to be, peppering her existence with countless regrets along the lifelong journey

EARCANDY

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Reading the New York Times sure puts life into perspective.

The life if an average 30-year-old Singaporean woman: receiving family and friends in the maternity ward after a nerve-wrecking but ultimately smooth Caesarean operation, later posting pics of her newborn on fb and perhaps also 50 posts on her profile page with congratulations and well-wishes.

Now picture the life of an average 30-year-old Ugandan woman:
   Ms. Anguko and Mr. Inziku bought supplies they knew the hospital lacked: latex gloves, cotton wool, a razor blade to cut the umbilical cord. But as Ms. Anguko was bleeding, Mr. Inziku and his wife's cousin said nurses repeatedly ignored their pleas for help.
   The hospital's own account depicted a nightmarish day of complicated emergencies with only one midwife for both the day and evening shifts. Women arrived with ruptured uteruses, a stillbirth, an obstructed labor, an incomplete abortion and a bleeding cancer of the cervix.
   ... The government faced tough questioning in April when its spending on Russian-made fighter jets became public.
   "You're talking about investing in jets? Come on!" exclaimed Christine Bako, a lawmaker from Ms. Anguko's district, during a debate in Parliament. "This is now a matter of conscience."

And with that... happy national day everyone! Be glad that with a fortuitous stroke of luck, you were born on a tiny red dot.

Sunday Morning used to be my fave Maroon 5 song.
now it's this.

why does the one you love become the one who makes you want to cry?

and thanks to Nick's complete collection.. i'm back to reading Harry Potter. most people, me included, love it for the imaginary yet stunningly detailed architecture of the magical realm. but i suddenly realized at least for me, that it teaches me to stand up for what i believe in, instead of being my usual weak self concerned with what others think of me.

'But if I keep running in and out of the Ministry,' said Harry, still endeavouring to keep his voice friendly, 'won't that seem as though I approve of what the Ministry's up to?'

'Well,' said Scrimgeour, frowning slightly, 'well, yes, that's partly why we'd like --'

'No, I don't think that'll work,' said Harry pleasantly. 'You see, I don't like some of the things the Ministry's doing. Locking up Stan Shunpike, for instance.'

Scrimgeour did not speak for a moment, but his expression hardened instantly.

'I would not expect you to understand,' he said, and he was not as successful at keeping anger out of his voice as Harry had been. 'These are dangerous times, and certain measures need to be taken. You are sixteen years old --'

'Dumbledore's a lot older than sixteen, and he doesn't think Stan should be in Azkaban either,' said Harry. 'You're making Stan a scapegoat, just like you want to make me a mascot.'

They looked at each other, long and hard. Finally Scrimgeour said, with no pretence at warmth, 'I see. You prefer - like your hero Dumbledore - to disassociate yourself from the Ministry?'

'I don't want to be used,' said Harry.

'Some would say it's your duty to be used by the Ministry!'

'Yeah, and others might say it's your duty to check people really are Death Eaters before you chuck them in prison,' said Harry, his temper rising now. 'You're doing what Barty Crouch did. You never get it right, you people. do you? Either we've got Fudge, pretending everything's lovely while people get murdered right under his nose, or we've got you, chucking the wrong people into jail and trying to pretend you've got the Chosen One working for you!'

'So you're not the Chosen One?' said Scrimgeour.

'I thought you said it didn't matter either way?' said Harry, with a bitter laugh. 'Not to you, anyway.'

'I shouldn't have said that,' said Scrimgeour quickly. 'It was tactless --'

'No, it was honest,' said Harry. 'One of the only honest things you've said to me. You don't care whether I live or die, but you do care that I help you convince everyone you're winning the war against Voldemort. I haven't forgotten, Minister...'

He raised his right fist. There, shining white on the back of his cold hand, were the scars Dolores Umbridge had forced him to carve into his own flesh: I must not tell lies.

'I don't remember you rushing to my defence when I was trying to tell everyone Voldemort was back. The Ministry wasn't so keen to be pals last year.'

They stood in silence as icy as the ground beneath their feet.

Captain America.

i haven't watched it and don't know if it's any good.. but does anyone feel that it's been politically timed to rouse national sentiment among Americans during the bleak debt crisis? i mean sure, it wasn't released on Independence Day but close enough.. plus being the 1st time in US history that it could be defaulting on its bills is a BIG thing for the world's global hegemony whose power has been pretty much unquestioned since the industrial revolution.. not anymore of course.. but the US surely isn't going to take no for an answer.. so they do what they know best -- create Hollywood blockbusters to instill what's left of American pride and promote more US pop culture to the rest of us in a bid for 'soft power'. Go Cap Am! lol.

in the meantime, good luck to you Obama.